


A Bridge Too Far

by archaeologist_d



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Canon Era, Canon Universe, Fluff, Gen, Just Add Kittens, Kittens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:08:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26651188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/archaeologist_d/pseuds/archaeologist_d
Summary: If a kitten acts like a dollophead and is always getting into trouble, of course Merlin should call him Arthur.
Relationships: Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 41
Collections: Camelot Drabble — Prompt #426: bridge/permission





	A Bridge Too Far

At first, Merlin didn’t notice. He was too busy staring at Prince Prat with his sword or mace or whatever pointy thing he’d chosen to swing around and hoping he wouldn’t be called upon to be the target again. He had enough bruises, thank you very much.

But there was a little sound above him, and as Merlin looked up, a tiny kitten was hanging onto the branch, its orange fur all fluffed out, wheezing out half-panicked ‘meows’. His blue eyes looked down at Merlin as if to demand that he do something. Or maybe it was that he blamed Merlin for the branch or the tree or the fact he’d climbed too high. As always, things that Merlin had no control over.

It was kind of funny because if Merlin had ever transformed the prat into a cat, the scruffy ball of fur would have been it.

Luckily, his magic hadn’t gone haywire, and the real Arthur was off across the training ground, preening or bashing someone over the head or showing off to the knights about something or other.

But before he could tut at the furry dollophead dangling on the unsteady branch, there was another abrupt ‘meow’ and the kitten fell right into Merlin’s hands. Well, with a bit of magic but no one need know that.

The cat looked very put out because it hadn’t had enough of a climb, apparently. Claws at the ready, he scrambled back up and sat on Merlin’s shoulder and batted at Merlin’s ear with one paw. Demanding attention as only a prat could.

Merlin snickered, then began to scratch under the kitten’s chin. “I think I’ll call you Arthur.”

Fluffball must have approved because he began to purr and then kneading Merlin’s shoulder a little, tucked himself into Merlin’s scarf.

The other Arthur, the one who was a prince and a clotpole and sometimes okay, was suddenly there. “What’s that? Not another one. How can you finish your chores if you are always rescuing strays? Idiot.” What Arthur really meant was that Merlin had stopped paying attention to him and Arthur wasn’t about to put up with it.

Smacking Merlin across the head, Arthur said, “Put it back in the cattery and get to work.”

Standing up, arching his back a little, cat Arthur hissed at his counterpart. Merlin snickered. “Arthur, meet Arthur.”

Arthur puffed up his chest, glaring at Merlin like he’d lost his mind. “You didn’t name him Arthur, did you? Because that would be treason.”

Merlin rubbed his cheek against the soft fur and smiled. Then counting on his fingers, he ticked off items one by one. “Humm, always getting into trouble, needs rescue from impossible situations, wants constant attention, hits me without provocation.” When Arthur glared at him, Merlin just raised one eyebrow as Gaius might have done. “Yep, sounds just like you.”

“I do not hit you,” Arthur said, gritting his teeth and glaring at the kitten. “Nor do I need rescue. Ever.”

Giving a little snort of disbelief, Merlin reached up and offered the kitten to Arthur. “Would you like to hold him? As one Arthur to another.”

Before Arthur could say no, little Arthur hissed and crawled back up Merlin’s arm. Settling back into his scarf, the kitten was licking his paw and sometimes Merlin’s neck, too. It tickled.

For a second, Arthur’s eyes followed to where the cat was nestled into Merlin’s skin, then he growled and turned away, talking to himself and waving his arms about. Yelling at the knights for another round of bashing heads in.

“So, Arthur, I guess you’re mine, now. Would you like some milk, maybe some of prat’s sausages? He really does eat a lot. I had to put notches in his last belt and then cover up about it. Do you think the dollophead would be okay if I brought you with me when I served him supper? His bed is nice and soft. You’d like it.”

Arthur only meowed back.

But that was good enough for Merlin.

And if later, prat Arthur yelled a bit, then started petting the little furball and feeding it titbits, and when he thought Merlin wasn’t listening, talking nonsense to the kitten, well, who was Merlin to call him out on it?

That would be a bridge too far.

**Author's Note:**

> Camelot_drabble Prompt: pt 426: A bridge Too Far  
> Author's Notes: none  
> Disclaimer: Merlin characters are the property of Shine and BBC. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.


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